I wanna be the very best like no one ever was - Coco: PokemonAU
by Pucia
Summary: What if the story from Coco was set in the Pokemon world? An AU where Hector, instead of being a musician, is a Pokemon trainer, and Imelda, instead of becoming a shoemaker, becomes a Pokeblock producer.
1. The greatest Pokemon master

_Sometimes I think I'm cursed... 'cause of something that happened before I was even born._

 _See, a long time ago there was a family. The papa, he was a Pokemon trainer. He was catching Pokemon, training them, and fighting with other trainers. Sometimes his wife joined him and together they were taking on double battles, while their daughter was cheering for them. Teamed up, they won a lot of local Pokemon tournaments! But the papa also had a dream...to become a Pokemon master. And one day he left with his Pokemon and Pokedex...and never returned._

 _And the mama...? She didn't have time to cry over that walkaway trainer! After getting rid of all cups and medals, she forbade bringing up the subject of training Pokemon. She found a way to provide for her daughter... She got on Berries crop in her garden and learned to make Pokeblock - feed increasing Pokemon's condition, produced from mixing in proper proportions appropriate types of Berries. Then she taught her daughter how to grow and blend Berries, and later she taught her son-in-law. Then her grandkids got roped in. As her family grew, so did the Pokeblock business. Pokemon training had torn her family apart, but Berries held them all together._

 _You see, that woman was my great-great grandmother, Mama Imelda. She died way before I was born. But my family still tells her story every year on Dia de los Muertos. And her little girl? She's my still living great-grandmother, Mama Coco. Her daughter, my abuelita, runs our house just like Mama Imelda did._

 _I think we're the only family in the region whose members can't train Pokemon. My family's fine with that...but me? I am not like the rest of my family!_

 _I know I'm not supposed to dream about becoming a Pokemon trainer - but it's not my fault! It's his: Ernesto de la Cruz... the greatest Pokemon master of all time._

 _He started out as a total nobody from Santa Cecilia, like me. But he was such a great trainer, that he easily collected a full set of badges and entered the Pokemon league. There, he beat all his rivals and became a Pokemon master. For years he was dueling with many talented trainers, but he never let anyone take his champion title. He never lost any battle! He owes this to his Pokemon - Shiny Dragonite. That Pokemon...was the strongest Pokemon in the world. He knew incredibly powerful moves, which were taking every spectator's breath away. Crowds were gathering to watch live how de la Cruz would blow out another challenger!_

 _After a few years they began to run out of brave ones, who would dare to challenge him, so he figured out that he doesn't need an opponent to put on a show for his fans. He observed that simultaneously using a few attacks produces different results than using them separately and found out which moves cooperate the best with one others. Then he turned the battlefield into a stage and started to give performances of incredibly spectacular combinations of Dragonite's attacks. It was something innovative and won his fan's hearts even more than his battles had! In the finale of the show de la Cruz got on Dragonite's back and together they were doing acrobatics in the air. He had an amazing talent, not only as a trainer, but also as a performer. He and his Dragonite created a wonderful show that gave birth to Pokemon Contests._

 _He lived the kind of life you dream about... Until 1942...when he risked too much, performing acrobatics on his own too close to the ground... Dragonite didn't manage to grab him in time..._

 _I wanna be just like him. Sometimes, I look at de la Cruz and I get this feeling... like we're connected somehow. Like, if he could become a Pokemon trainer, maybe someday I could too..._

"...if it wasn't for my family", a twelve year old boy, wearing jeans and a red hoodie, ended his tale.

"Ay, ay, ay, muchacho. I asked for healing my Charmeleon, not your life story," said tetchily a middle-aged man dressed in a Pokemon trainer outfit.

"Huh?", the boy blinked, coming back to reality. He was on the main plaza of the town - a place, where Pokemon trainers gathered, having fights. Next to him stood a red lizard, a little scratched up after a recently endured battle. The town was so small, that it didn't have its own Pokemon Center - the closest was located a few dozen kilometers away, in a city stationing of Pokemon Gym. Not all local trainers bothered to travel such a long way to entrust their Pokemon to Nurse Joy's safekeeping - they preferred healing minor injuries on their own. "Oh, yeah, sorry", the kid started to take Berries in different colors and shapes out of his bag until, finally he found the one he was looking for. "Please, this is Oran Berry. Eat it and you'll immediately regain your strength," he slipped a blue, round fruit under Charmeleon's muzzle. The Pokemon ate it and after a few seconds scratches on his body started to disappear and a fire burning on his tail significantly greatened. Charmeleon looked thankfully at the boy and then was absorbed into the Pokeball.

The kid heaved a sigh.

"I just can't really talk about any of this at home so..."

"Look, if I were you I'd march right up to my family and say: 'Hey! I'm a Pokemon trainer. Deal with it!'"

"I could never say that..."

"You are a trainer, no?"

"I don't know. I mean...", the boy started to flounder in an explanation. "I have Pokemon - that's not forbidden in my family. And I train with them when nobody sees but... I never battled with other trainers..."

The man uttered an irritating growl caused by kid's lack of self-confidence.

"Did de la Cruz become the world's greatest Pokemon master by hiding his sweet, sweet skills? No! He walked out onto that plaza and fought with other trainers!", he noted that some people are pinning to a notice board a big colorful poster containing the words 'Pokemon competition'. "Ah, mira, mira! They're setting up for tonight. The Pokemon competition for Dia de Muertos. You wanna be like your hero? You should sign up!"

"Uh-uh, my family would freak!", the boy automatically refused.

"Look, if you're too scared then, well... have fun making Pokeblock."

The kid looked torn.

"C'mon", the trainer encouraged him. "What did de la Cruz always say?"

"...Seize your moment?" the boy knew the answer by heart.

The man nodded with approval and took a closer look at the poster. "It's written here that the nearest city's leader will arrive here tomorrow and the winner of the competition will be allowed to fight for a badge. The same badge as this one..."

The trainer took from his pocket a tiny box and opened it. Inside, shining in sunlight was a small, hand-made, gray pin in the shape of a hexagon. The boy was staring in awe at it. He had never seen anything so beautiful close up before...

"MIGUEL!"

To the boy's ears came a resounding woman's voice, clearly distinctive against the background of chatter prevailing in the plaza. Toward him was marching an anxious elderly lady; she was accompanied by a man in his forties, a teenage girl, and a small, pink, bulldog-like Pokemon.

"Abuelita!" stammered the frightened kid, closing the box and pushing it away toward the trainer.

"What are you doing here?" grandmother asked nervously, reaching out to the boy.

"Um... uh..." Miguel stuttered out, hurriedly putting Berries lying on the ground in his bag.

Then the woman saw the trainer and menacingly pointed a finger at him.

"You leave my grandson alone! Snubbull!"

The pink Pokemon bit the man's foot. He shrieked in pain, frantically swinging his leg, trying to throw the Pokemon off himself, and when he finally managed to do that, he started to excuse himself:

"Dona, please, I was just getting my Pokemon healed!"

"I know your tricks, trainer!" The woman didn't believe him. "What did he say to you?" she asked Miguel.

"He was just showing me his badge..."

The rest of the family gave a gasp of shock.

"Shame on you!" said a man in his forties.

Grandmother again pointed a finger at the trainer, almost touching his nose, and onto her shoulder clambered Snubbull, barring her teeth intimidatingly.

"My grandson is a sweet little angelito querido cielito. He wants no part of your accessories, trainer! You keep away from him!"

Both the woman and her Pokemon looked so frightening, that the man started to cringe away from them out of fear, eventually losing balance and falling from the bench to the ground. But quickly he bucked up and ran away in terror.

Contented, grandmother turned to the boy.

"Ay, pobrecito! Estas bien, mijo?"

She strongly embraced Miguel and peppered kisses all over his face, not giving him a chance to speak. When she finally released her grandson, she gave him a stern look.

"You know better than to be here in this place!" she waged her finger at him. "You will come home. Now."

The woman strode toward the way out of the plaza, along with her son Berto, granddaughter Rosa, and Snubbull. Miguel sighed, sad about how it all ended, and followed them. Before that, however, he furtively split a flier promoting the Pokemon competition off from the notice board and put in his bag.

...

Miguel entered the Pokeblock workplace. It was a large, spacious, and filled with the scent of Berries room, divided into three parts. In the first, Abel, 19 years old Miguel's primo, was doing the primary step of Pokeblock production: cutting Berries into equal parts, successively emptying a basket full of just picked fruits. In the second, main part of the workplace, Miguel's parents were working at the Berry Blender, mixing earlier measured, selected kinds of Berries. When they obtained a supernatant liquid, they spilled it into square molds and left it to congeal; in the solid state it becomes Pokeblock. In the last part of the room, Franco, Miguel's abuelo, was arranging ready-to-eat Pokeblock cubes into equal piles and then packing them and bringing them into the shop that adjoined the workplace. The family business comprised two more workers: Miguel's first tia, Carmen, who was caring for Berry Trees in the garden and, at the same time, tending her kids, three years old twins, Benny and Manny, and Miguel's second tia, Gloria, who was serving customers in the shop.

The main assortment of the store constituted, of course, five types of Pokeblock - the red one (that increases Pokemon's coolness), the blue one (that increases Pokemon's beauty), the pink one (that increases Pokemon's cuteness), the green one (that increases Pokemon's cleverness) and the yellow one (that increases Pokemon's toughness) - but it was also possible to buy raw Berries, which eating had medicinal properties for Pokemon. In the whole region, there were very few Pokeblock producers, for it was work involving great concentration and patience; hence buyers even from distant cities arrived to the shop. Sometimes, however, it happened that they had to go home empty-handed, mad they wasted half a day for a travel because the basic shop rule was: 'we don't service trainers'.

Miguel was the only member of the family that wasn't interested in Pokeblock production, as they weren't so useful in Pokemon battles (maybe with the exception of yellow Pokeblock). He had, though, a good knowledge about Berries effects, because they could quickly cure negative consequences of battling. So he came up with an idea that he, instead of producing Pokeblock, would go every day to the post office to send ordered Pokeblocks and Berries to customers and Pokemon Centers that his family cooperated with. It was a good excuse to go round to the Trainers Plaza, located near the post office, and watch them fighting with each other. It was the only thing, next to secretly training with his Pokemon, that made him happy. For many months nobody had discovered that he sneaked off to the plaza... until today.

"I found your son in Trainers Plaza!", grandmother announced on the workplace's doorstep. Miguel sat with his head down on a stool next to his parents, ready for a scolding.

"Miguel..." Papa said disappointedly, distracting himself from work.

"You know how Abuelita feels about the plaza," added Mama.

"I just healed a Pokemon!" Miguel tried to justify himself.

"A trainer's Pokemon!" tio Berto pointed out indignantly.

The family gasped. Abel was so shocked he inattentively cut a Berry in two, as a result it fell on the floor.

"He needed an Oran Berry so..."

"Miguel, you know that we don't sell our products to trainers," reminded Papa.

"They are awful people. They use Pokemon for their selfish purposes," added tio Berto.

Miguel rolled his eyes, knowing that there's no point in arguing.

"In accordance with Abuelita's wish, you will no more go to the plaza," decided Papa.

Life without observing Pokemon battles? This couldn't be happening!

"But what about tonight?" Miguel blurted.

"What's tonight?" Papa Franco took an interest.

"Well, they're having some kind of... of a talent show," Miguel didn't want to use the word "competition" for fear his family would guess it's about Pokemon battles. "And I thought I might..."

"Sign up?" Mama looked curiously at her son.

"Well, maybe?"

"You have to have talent to be in a talent show," laughed Rosa.

"What are you going to do, juggle Berries?" joked Abel, once more not paying sufficient attention to Berry slicing. This time it resulted in cutting his finger.

Miguel only gave a smug smile in reply.

"It's Dia de los Muertos - no one's going anywhere. Tonight is about family," grandmother ended the discussion and put bunch of marigolds in Miguel's arms. "Ofrenda room. Vamonos."

She guided him to the small room located on the ground floor of the Rivera family house. Mama Coco, almost a 100 years old granny, was already sitting there in her wheelchair, sleeping. The room served as the altar, therefore it was richly adorned with marigolds and candles. Its central place was occupied by the ofrenda, on which were standing photos of deceased family members and their Pokemon, as well as offerings from their living relatives: favorite types of Berries, Pokeblock and human treats. On the highest shelf of the ofrenda, was placed the oldest photograph, showing a serious, 22 years old woman sitting on a chair, holding on her lap her 3 years old daughter; next to her stood a man wearing a Pokemon trainer outfit, whose face was ripped off.

"Don't give me that look," Abuelita said to Miguel, seeing his pout. She took the flowers from him and started to decorate the ofrenda with them. "Dia de los Muertos is the one night of the year our ancestors can come visit us. We've put their photos on the ofrenda so their spirits can cross over. That is very important! If we don't put them up, they can't come! We made all this food and set out the things they loved in life, mijo. All this work to bring the family together. I don't want you sneaking off to who-knows-where..."

She noticed, that Miguel was trying to silently leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I thought we were done..."

"Ay, Dios mio...", she sighed. "Being part of this family means being here for this family. I don't want to see you end up like..." she looked at the photo with the faceless trainer.

"...like Mama Coco's papa?"

"Never mention that man!" she banged her fist on the ofrenda. "He's better off forgotten."

"But you're the one who..."

"Ta, ta, ta-tch!"

"I was just..."

"Tch-tch!"

"Papa?" their raised voices woke up Mama Coco. "Papa is coming home?"

"No, Mama. Calmese, calmese," Abuelita rushed to her mother and embraced her.

"Who are you?" Mama Coco looked at Abuelita, confused.

Sadness appeared on Abuelita's face with the realization that her own mother didn't recognize her, yet she quickly chased it away, calmed Coco down, and returned to the ofrenda.

"I'm hard on you because I care, Miguel. Miguel... Miguel?"

She looked around the room, but he was nowhere.

"What are we going to do with that boy...?"

Her gaze swept the ofrenda, searching for inspiration. Her eyes stopped at Imelda's photo. Suddenly, she came up with an idea.

"You're right. That's just what he needs!"


	2. Miguel's Secret Base

Just a few months ago the attic of the Rivera family house was covered with a thick layer of dusk and its tiny hatch, completely entwined in a Spinaraks' web, didn't let in the light. It changed in the spring, when spiders bred to the extent that the narrow loft no longer sufficed for them and they had to find bigger spaces. In their migration, they started to come through the window into - at that time - 11 years old Miguel's room. The boy, annoyed with daily unwelcome guests, desired to find their nest in order to move it somewhere else. He noticed that Pokemon were circling around one place - a hole in a wall of the small area built on the roof, just above his room. He decided to check what that place was and discovered with surprise that it was storage forgotten by everyone! There were piles of old furniture and cartons with all sorts of things: broken Berry Blenders, old-fashioned clothes, moldy books and other useless items that for some reason had seemed like a shame to waste them. For Spinaraks it was a dream place to nest - dark, moist, dirty, people-less. Miguel, however, had another idea for this room's purpose - it would become his Secret Base!

In accordance with his decision, every day after completing his chores, he stealthily went through the window in his room onto the roof, and then, squeezed through the creaking hatch getting inside the attic. There, equipped with cleaning supplies, he proceeded with cleanup. Thanks to his hard work, after only a week the room was free from dust, dirt and spiders web. Spinaraks, seeing there is no more place for them, fled. Miguel's next step was to get more space, so he moved old stuff against the walls and stacked cartons on top of each other. In one of the boxes, to his surprise, he found a Seal Case and a few Accessories - could someone living in this house a long time ago be a coordinator?

Finally, the attic was ready for equipment! Miguel arranged it in the way he always wanted his room to look like but his family would never allow him. He hanged posters on the walls with Ernesto de la Cruz and his Pokemon, and put up a few strings with paper letters forming words 'DE LA CRUZ'. He even created from nailed boards a makeshift ofrenda, on which he placed figurines and pictures showing his idol. Shortly afterward, his hideout was enriched with another valuable stuff - an old TV and video player that Miguel found in the dump. The devices were broken, but Miguel, thanks to his talent for tinkering, managed to repair them. He ran an extension cable through his room's window into the attic so that he could plug in electronics and watch recordings of his master's battles and performances.

It was also a place where Miguel perfected his Pokemon's attacks. Or at least some of them, since he had to be careful so that nobody from the downstairs heard him. Therefore, he concentrated on quiet moves, based on speed and defense, instead of strength.

Hours spent in the attic seemed to him to be torn from another person's life - a life where you can be yourself, free from your family's expectations and prohibitions. These were quite short periods but filled Miguel with incredible happiness and satisfaction, which helped him survive sad reality.

And so, for months free time passed for Miguel by training and watching his master in action. However, for the last week, he was engrossed in something else...

"We must remove the flap and look inside."

Miguel was leaning over his newest, most valuable finding. It was the oldest electronic Pokedex model, no longer in production for many years. Miguel found it in a pitiful state - with a falling flap, lack of a few buttons and a broken screen. For most people, it was a piece of junk - especially since trainers could receive a new version of the device for free from the regional professor. However, for Miguel - whose family deprived him of this chance - it was the only opportunity to have a Pokedex.

The boy taped the device together and inserted button replacements into empty spaces, bringing its appearance to relative working order. Unfortunately, it turned out that's not enough to activate the Pokedex, which leads to the conclusion that the interior of the device must be damaged. Miguel could, on his own, carry out simple electronics repair works, yet he didn't have enough knowledge to fix such a complex machine. So he borrowed a description of the Pokedex construction from library's archives, and then bought wires used in the device in an electronic shop; so equipped he proceeded with disassembling the Pokedex.

"The instructions say that from the battery should come up five white wires... let's see..."

Miguel shined his flashlight onto the tangle of cables which appeared after removing the flap. Along with him into the interior of the device stuck his nose Miguel's faithful companion, a small brown fox.

"This wire is fine... this one too... Yes! This one is burnt out!"

Miguel carefully, brought out the broken cable with a forceps and replaced it with the new one. He whipped carefully through other wires but didn't find another failure. Full of hope, he pressed the activation button.

It worked! The screen lit up and displayed the name of the previous owner!

"We did it!" exclaimed a thrilled Miguel, and his Pokemon accompanied him with a cheerful squeak. "Now we just need to delete the data."

Subduing emotions, the boy looked at the part of the instructions that described the method of device reset. Following the directions, Miguel sought out a small button, that was hidden under wires, and pressed it. Then he turned on the Pokedex again; however, this time, on the screen appeared the sentence: 'Hello, trainer, please enter your name'.

"It works! It works!" Miguel clicked all personal data required for registration with shaking hands.

The Pokedex started to process information, quietly buzzing and flickering the screen. But after a while, it accepted Miguel as its new owner and displayed the inscription: 'Aim the Pokedex at the Pokemon'.

"Let's try," Miguel pointed the device towards his Pokemon.

 _"Eevee, the evolution Pokemon,"_ sounded Pokedex's mechanical voice. _"Eevee is rarely seen_ zzz _and can adapt to severe habitats by evolving, changing its capabilities and form_ zzz _."_

"Perfecto!" called out a joyful Miguel, not paying attention to the device's minor stuttering. He turned the Pokedex off and put in his pocket. "Now I'm a real Pokemon trainer!"

Eevee, sharing his enthusiasm, started to jump on the attic, happily squeaking. At some point he sped up so much so that he didn't manage to brake in time. As a result, he struck one of the cartons and scattered it - and boxes standing on it - contents, making a lot of noise.

"You're gonna get me in trouble, Eevee. Someone could hear me!" Miguel said, sounding stressed. "Although, actually, I'm sick of hiding..."

Eevee run up to the boy and licked him, trying to cheer him up. Miguel chased the blues away and came to the ofrenda, on which was burning some candles in honor of de la Cruz. He lit the rest of them, and then sat down in front of the TV and inserted a tape titled 'Best of de la Cruz' into the video player.

On the screen came a montage of the greatest of de la Cruz's battles and performances:

...

 _"Dragonair is frozen! Could it be too much for Ernesto to become a Pokemon master?"_

 _The commentator's voice was echoing all over the stands, which have fallen silent. Every spectator stood up and held their breath, tensely watching how enormous Avalugg trapped Dragonair in a huge block of ice. The only person that remained unaffected was 26 years old de la Cruz, not losing faith in his Pokemon._

 _Suddenly, a white glow encompassed Dragonair and the ice binding him started to crack! The Pokemon began to change his shape, transforming from a sea snake into a winged dragon!_

 _In a rush of new strength, he managed to break free himself from ice and he flew high up in the air. Then he started to nosedive towards Avalugg, and around his body a blue energy formed, which took the shape of a dragon. He hit Avalugg with amazing power and knocked him out!_

 _"Incredible! We have a new master!"_

... _  
_

 _For the first time ever a battle between two masters took place with deserted stands. It was the fault of driving rain and raving wind - that appeared during the fight as an effect of moves Rain Dance and Tailwind - and flushed fans out of the tribunes, encouraging them to watch the battle in the cozy interior of the building. Except for the judge, the only ones who stayed outside, were Ernesto de la Cruz, holding a champion title for 10 years, and Lance, the dragon master. Of course, they were accompanied by Pokemon; since it was a double-battle, on Ernesto's side were standing Dragonite and Jolteon, and on Lance's, Noivern and Salamence._

 _Both trainers and their Pokemon were exhausted from the protracted fight. However, none of them was going to concede._

 _"Salamence, use Earthquake!" called Lance._

 _"Jolteon, jump on Dragonite!" ordered Ernesto, knowing that ground type move would eliminate electric Pokemon._

 _Dragonite, with Jolteon on his back, flew in the air. But the wind was so strong, that, with difficulty, they didn't let it blow them away. In addition, Noivern and Salamence started to target them Dragon Pulses! Fortunately, gusts of wind were too unpredictable, and rainstorm too effectively restricted visibility to let them hit._

 _"Noivern, Hurricane! Salamence, Twister!" ordered Lance._

 _The moves formed an enormous tornado, dragging and destroying everything that stood in its way. It was closing inevitably on Dragonite and Jolteon, and Ernesto must quickly carry out a counterattack:_

 _"Dragonite, use Aqua Tail in order to control this tornado! Jolteon, support him using Helping Hand!"_

 _Around the dragon's tail appeared a huge steam of spiraling water,_ additionaly _strengthened by Jolteon's attack and favorable weather conditions. Two vortexes - water and aerial - collided and started to grapple. But after a while, the whirlpool took over the whole spinning formation, entwining it with water spiral! Dragonite sent the destructive vortex towards a powerless Noivern and Salamence. Despite their escape attempt, the whirl dragged them inwards, damaging badly, and Jolteon's Thunder finished the task._

 _When the attack petered out, an unconscious Noivern and Salamence dropped down. There was no doubt that Ernesto defended his master title._

... _  
_

 _"It's time for the grand finale!"_

 _De la Cruz, dressed in a white, elegant performer outfit, came on the middle of the stage gaining great applause from the audience. He loved to delight the public with his - and his Pokemon's - talent, but recently he didn't get this opportunity. His latest spectacular battle was held three years ago, when after an hour of tough combat, he beat Lance. Since then, another trainer that could present a challenge for de la Cruz didn't reveal himself. He was winning every battle within a few minutes until finally, people stopped challenging him for fear of embarrassment in the eyes many millions of viewers._

 _For de la Cruz, his fame as an unbeaten master wasn't enough; he needed constant contact with the public. And since classic battles were no longer doing good, he devised a new way to perform in front of the audience: a talent show of his fans' favorite - his extraordinary Dragonite._

 _The dragon's attacks were not only extremely_ _strong_ , _but also incredibly spectacular. Combined in proper combos, they gave the effect of a huge, frightening, hydro-pneumatic vortex, closed in a transparent sphere, and thus harmless to the audience; fireworks and other sparking lights, that totally charmed viewers; and a gorgeous rainbow, which appeared above the stage. Dragonite perfectly did his task; the time had come for him, Ernesto, to prove himself in his new - performer - role._

 _De la Cruz deftly climbed on Dragonite's back, who then landed at the center of the stage. Not a second passed, and Pokemon with his rider flew high up in the air, almost disappearing from the audience's sight. Dragonite started doing flips, throwing his trainer off its back and catching him a few meters down. In the culminant moment, the Pokemon sent a fire spiral perpendicularly to the ground, and Ernesto jumped right into the middle of the attack! The audience froze in terror when de la Cruz started doing somersaults, surrounded by ferocious flames, covering meters faster and faster, dangerously getting closer and closer to the ground! Suddenly, when he was just fractions of a second away from shattering, and spectators were screaming in panic, Dragonite caught him!_

 _In conclusion, they flew one last time over the tribunes, which were now pealing with the loudest in history cheers and applause._

... _  
_

 _A smiling de la Cruz was sitting in an armchair and giving an interview. He was already 45 years old, but he was still in great shape and didn't quit performing. His popularity was increasing with every passing year; presently he enjoyed the fame of not only the greatest Pokemon master in history,_ _but also an unsurpassed model for a newly created, coordinator profession. Many people wondered about the reasons for his success._

 _"Senor de la Cruz, what did it take for you to seize your moment?"_

 _"I have always wanted to be the very best like no one ever was", said de la Cruz passionately. "I had to have faith in my dream. No one was going to hand it for me. It was up to me to reach for that dream, grab it tight and make it come true."_

...

"...and make it come true", Miguel repeated as the record ended and de la Cruz's words sunk in him. He took the flyer promoting the Pokemon competition out of his bag. "No more hiding, Eevee! I gotta seize my moment!"

The Pokemon squeaked happily and ran up to the poster presenting de la Cruz's Jolteon, gazing at it admiringly. For a long time Eevee wanted to evolve, but Miguel couldn't afford to buy an Evolution Stone, and he hadn't permission to travel to evolution rocks. And since they weren't allowed to pursue their passion for battling, evolution by happiness was ruled out too. That had to change!

"I will do my best in order to enable your evolution soon!" Miguel promised. "I'm gonna battle in Trainers Plaza if it kills me!"


	3. Shiny Dratini

As the sun was setting in the west, preparations for Dia de los Muertos were coming to an end in the Rivera's house. Like each year, family members made every effort to worthily host their deceased relatives; the entire building and courtyard were cleaned and adorned with christmas decorations: paper picados, candles and plenty of marigolds, which scent was floating in the air. Also for the living, this evening was supposed to be special; attractions awaited them, such as passing down stories about the dead and, particularly, a lot of festal dishes and desserts - not forgetting, of course, about treats for their animal friends. The holiday atmosphere embraced the whole house and everyone was anticipating for sitting down together at the table. Except for some boy and his Pokemon, who had their own plan for tonight.

Miguel and Eevee, excited like never before, returned from the attic into their room, and thence, cautiously stepping on the wooden stairs, walked down to the ground floor of the house. They quietly closed the front door and carefully trod towards the Trainers Plaza, making sure nobody in the family noticed them, as they were forbidden to leave home that day.

Suddenly, after taking a few steps, they heard Papa's voice coming from the corner of the building!

"Mama, where we should put this table?"

A second later before their eyes appeared a gray, humanoid Pokemon carrying a big, massive table. Miguel stopped in mid-walk, afraid that in a moment Papa will also emerge from behind the house, and will catch him trying to leave home.

But that wasn't the worst thing. All of a sudden, the Pokedex, hidden in Miguel's pocket, turned itself on and started to pronounce the description of the just scanned Pokemon!

 _"Machop, the Superpower Pokemon."_

A panicked boy began to back away, not wanting Papa to hear the electronic voice. Simultaneously, he was nervously groping the Pokedex trying to turn it off; however, the device got stuck and continued with its speech:

 _"Machop have muscles that never tire, no matter how much they exercise."_

As if that wasn't enough trouble, from behind the opposite corner came Abuelita, sweeping the sidewalk. She was walking backwards, so she didn't notice Miguel, but she could have heard the Pokedex's voice...

"In the courtyard, mijo," she answered Papa, somewhat drowning out the device.

"You want it down by the kitchen?" now Papa also showed up in Miguel's field of vision. He was walking behind Machop, directing him; luckily the table covered the man's head.

"Si. Next to the other one."

Papa and Abuelita were getting closer and closer to Miguel and Eevee from both sides, and the Pokedex kept talking. Just a few seconds and the adults will see them or - even worse - hear the device... They had no choice but to return home.

They entered the ofrenda room. There was no one there, except a sleeping Coco. Miguel took the Pokedex out of his pocket and frantically started pressing the deactivation button. The device, however, once again didn't respond and impassively finished the description:

 _"Machop have enough strength to throw 100 average-sized adults."_

The Pokedex buzzed for a while yet, before it finally turned off. Barely had its voice stopped, when the front door opened and a few people came into the house.

"Miguel?" Abuelita called on the threshold.

"Nothing!" the boy answered nervously, hiding Pokedex in his pocket.

Miguel's parents and Abuelita walked into ofrenda room, carefully looking at him.

"Mama... Papa... I..." the boy stuttered out, confident he had been caught.

But they didn't look angry. On the contrary, their faces were filled with happiness and pride. Papa clapped his hands to silence his son.

"Miguel... Your Abuelita had the most wonderful idea! We've all decided - it's time you joined us in the workplace!" he announced.

"What?" Miguel gave a gasp of surprise.

"No more bringing Pokeblock to the post office - you will be making it! Every day after school!" explained Papa.

Abuelita squeezed boy's cheeks and said in a squeaky from excitement voice:

"Our Migueli-ti-ti-ti-to carrying on the family tradition! And on Dia de los Muertos! Your ancestors will be so proud!"

For Miguel this idea was like his worst nightmare coming true. If he starts working at the plant, he won't have time for training and won't be able to visit Trainers Plaza!

"But what if I'm no good at making Pokeblock?" he desperately asked.

"Ah, Miguel" Papa waved his concern aside. "You have your family here to guide you... You are a Rivera. And a Rivera is...?"

"A Pokeblock producer. Through and through" Miguel finished in a resigned voice.

"That's my boy!" Papa rejoiced, and Mama and Abuelita accompanied him. They were so joyful, Miguel didn't want to distress them. So he smiled back.

"Berto, break out the good stuff, I wanna make a toast!" Papa called, walking out of the room. Mama and Abuelita followed him; the second one, upon leaving, smothered Miguel with kisses, like she used to.

When Miguel was left alone, he wiped the insincere smile off his face and sadly sighed. He loved his relatives and didn't want to disappoint them, but he totally didn't see himself in the family business. He had always dreamed of being a trainer and setting off on a journey, but he never gave himself away in front of his relatives, knowing they would bid him to get that idea out of his head. His family and passion... he couldn't connect these two things.

Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the ofrenda. Eevee was devouring sweets left for deceased relatives!

"Eevee! No, Eevee, stop!" Miguel grabbed Pokemon and tried to pull him, but he resisted. They started to grapple, which caused the table to shake, as well as photo frames to sway... Finally, with one strong tug, he dragged him away from the ofrenda. But this action set the table swinging to the extent that the highest picture lost balance and crushed to the ground!

"No, no, no! No..." Miguel cried, looking around. He feared that in a moment his whole family would converge here; however, it looked like none of them had heard the sound of breaking glass.

Miguel took Imelda's photo in his hand and was amazed to discover that a part of the picture was folded and covered by the frame all these years! It showed a small sea snake in an unusual - pink - color, wrapped around the faceless trainer's arm. Normal - blue - Dratinis were extremely rare, but this one - Shiny - was unique on a regional scale! Miguel knew only one person who had one such as this...

"De la Cruz's Dratini...?" the boy whispered in disbelief.

"Papa?" Miguel heard a voice behind his back and turned around, startled; he forgot there was also Coco in the room!

"Mama Coco, is your papa... Ernesto de la Cruz?" he asked, coming up to her with the photo.

"Papa! Papa!" she repeated, pointing a finger at the faceless man.

Miguel's eyes widened as he began to realize the mysterious trainer's identity. It all fell into place: de la Cruz left Santa Cecilia in order to become a Pokemon master, exactly like the trainer from the family legend!

Holding the picture, Miguel and Eevee rushed into their Secret Base, where they pulled out an album with de la Cruz's team photos. They showed his Pokemon from the time he became famous, therefore it would be futile to look there for Dratini; yet there was one Dragonair's picture, taken during the final battle of the league. Miguel compared Dratini from the family photo with Dragonair from the album. Their colors were identical!

It could not be otherwise; de la Cruz was his great-great-grandfather! He must stop with hiding his passion and share his discovery with his family. Maybe now, when they get to know they're related to the greatest Pokemon master, they'll change their attitude towards trainers?

Miguel ran out on the roof and noticed his parents in the courtyard.

"Mama! Papa!" he exclaimed, waving the photo. "I know who my great-great-grandfather was!"

"Miguel! Get down from there!" called Mama.

"Mama Coco's father was Ernesto de la Cruz!"

"What are you talking about?" wondered Papa.

Miguel took the Pokedex out of his pocket and proudly held it out in front of him, while Eevee jumped onto his shoulder.

"I'm gonna be a trainer!


	4. How to trade a Poke…dex?

It was just after sunset when family members gathered in the courtyard. On the ground, there were lying posters, pictures and figurines representing Ernesto de la Cruz, which the adults had taken out of Miguel's base… not a Secret Base anymore. On one side of the pile of items stood Miguel, still holding the Pokedex and family photo in his hands. On the other side, in front of him, his relatives were standing with disbelief and anger written all over their faces. The boy knew that an unpleasant conversation was afoot; he didn't want Eevee to take part in it, so he recalled him into the Pokeball.

"What is all this? You keep secrets from your own family?" Abuelita asked reproachfully.

"It's all that time he spends on the town…" tio Berto sighed.

"…fills his head with crazy fantasies!" tia Gloria accompanied him.

"It's not a fantasy!" Miguel objected. He wentup to his father and handed him the photograph, pointing at Shiny Dratini. "That man was Ernesto de la Cruz! The greatest Pokemon master of all time!"

"We've never known anything about this man," said Papa, a little disoriented, looking at the picture. "But whoever he was, he still abandoned his family. This is no future for my son," he finished firmly.

"But Papa, you said my family would guide me! Well, de la Cruz is my family! I'm supposed to become a trainer!"

"Never!" Abuelita strictly forbade, and Snubbull, standing next to her, growled. "That man made Pokemon training a curse! I will not allow it!"

"But being a trainer isn't actually a bad thing…" the boy tried to explain them, but Mama interrupted him in cautionary voice:

"Miguel."

"You will listen to your family. No more nonsense with training," Papa persisted.

The elders were so self-righteous that they didn't even want to hear Miguel out. Yet, he wasn't about to give up easily.

"…During the journey trainers can learn many things about the world…"

"End of argument."

"…and about Pokemon. Just listen…" Miguel turned the Pokedex on and aimed it at Snubbull. However, before the device managed to sound even one word, Abuelita ripped it from the boy's hand and, with one strong press, turned it off.

"You want to end up like that man? Forgotten? Left off your family's ofrenda?" she asked, pointing at the photograph.

"I don't care if I'm on some stupid ofrenda!" Miguel shouted angrily.

The whole family let out a loud gasp. No one had ever insulted their beliefs!

Abuelita's face hardened. She raised her hand with the Pokedex…

"No!" Miguel cried.

"Mama!" called Papa, trying to stop her… but it was too late! The woman slammed the Pokedex against the ground with all her might!

Miguel was watching disbelievingly and hopelessly as his beloved device turned into the wreckage. All his efforts – long hours devoted to repairing, money spent on replacement parts – went down the drain!

"There. No Pokedex, no demoralization," Abuelita said, relieved, and her face softened. "Come. You'll feel better after you eat with your family."

But Miguel's heart was broken into pieces – just like his Pokedex – and none of the food could repair that.

"I don't wanna be in this family!" he cried with tears in his eyes. He snatched the photograph from Papa and – before anybody could react – stormed out in the street. He heard his father's voice calling him but didn't stop; at this moment the only thing that mattered for him was participation in the Pokemon competition.

...

After a couple of minutes, he arrived at Trainers Plaza. There was more activity going on than usual; a few trainers were fighting sparring matches, and several others were training with their Pokemon. An excited mass of people was watching them, from time to time giving a glance at a nearby platform, completely plastered with competition posters. A woman with a long list in her hand was standing on it and talking with some hyped up boy. After a while, she wrote something into the list, and the kid walked away from her and joined practicing trainers; Miguel guessed it was a registration point.

"I wanna fight in the plaza. Like de la Cruz! Can I sign up?" he asked frantically, rushing up to the woman.

"Of course. Your Pokedex, please."

"M-my Pokedex?"

"This is an official tournament organized by the Pokemon League. As in the case of a battle for a badge, your Pokedex is required for registration," she explained politely. "You don't have one?"

"I-I lo-lo…ummm," he started to stutter, not knowing what to answer. It was not as if he would admit he didn't have a Pokedex!

"You lost your Pokedex? I'm sorry but in this case I can't sign you up. However, we start in about 40 minutes so if by that time you find it, I'll put you on the list," she said kindly, and then she came up to another concerned person.

Miguel felt despair overwhelming him. If only Abuelita hadn't destroyed his Pokedex!

For a while he thought it was the end of dreaming about participation – and generally about training - but then suddenly an idea occurred to him! What if he borrows a Pokedex from somebody and appears under his name? After the competition he would explain the situation and - in case of winning – maybe even receive a new Pokedex…?

He felt hope getting into him again and without thinking came up to some boy around the same age.

"Excuse me, do you maybe have a Pokedex?"

"No."

Perhaps he should firstly make sure that the person owns this device? Hence he sought out some teenager standing on the sidelines, looking through the Pokedex.

"Excuse me, could you please lend me your Pokedex for tonight?"

"You must be kidding!" he spat. Undeterred, Miguel found another boy with Pokedex.

"I'm sorry, I need Pokedex, will you please…"

"Get away from my son!" a large scary-looking man interrupted him.

Nobody wanted to help, and time was running out. Besides, why would anyone want to lend him Pokedex and, alongside this, get into trouble? Now his plan seemed stupid to him.

Heartbroken and helpless, he headed over to a nearby statue showing de la Cruz mounting Dragonite. The man beamed with pride and self-confidence – something that Miguel was lacking at the moment.

"Great-great grandfather… What am I supposed to do?"

Under the statue was written de la Cruz's motto: 'Seize Your Moment!'. Miguel felt that his ancestor would advise him to never give up a dream.

He took out the family photo from his pocket. For a while he was gazing at Shiny Dratini, and then he turned his eyes on the stone Dragonite. Something started to dawn on him…

Shiny Dragonite wasn't the only part of de la Cruz's uniqueness. He had one more extraordinary something…

Miguel already knew where he'd get a Pokedex.

...

He crossed Santa Cecilia Panteon's gate. It was the one day of the year the cemetery wasn't deserted and plunged into darkness, quite the opposite. It seemed almost magical; illuminated by thousands of candles, filled with the scent of an even larger quantity of marigolds.

Of course, it was full of townspeople too. They were standing over graves of their loved ones, talking to them, or about them, leaving gifts to them. Their presence was very inconvenient for Miguel since he didn't want to get noticed. Therefore he was flitting between tombstones, trying to choose the most shaded pathways, dipping more and more into the cemetery area…

Finally, he arrived at his destination - de la Cruz's mausoleum!

It was a white, stately structure, placed on a small rise in the center of the cemetery. There was a white sarcophagus inside, and on the wall nearest to it, opposite the entrance, hung a large portrait showing de la Cruz's face. Under the painting, along the entire wall, was located a wide floating shelf, on which were exhibited countless cups and medals, Pokeballs in which formerly de la Cruz kept his Pokemon… and what Miguel came for – de la Cruz's Pokedex.

He had never seen any Pokedex like this. It was wholly white, with a glass case. Despite the passage of time – it was after all over 100 years old! – stayed in perfect condition; in Miguel's view, it looked even better than all these modern fancy Pokedexes.

It was similar in construction to the one fixed by Miguel; both belonged to the same classic model with a rectangular, openable case. They must have been produced around the same time. Therefore, Miguel supposed they had approximate embedded electronics. By a happy coincidence, recently he acquainted himself well with the functioning of this electronics. And in that case… he could a bit tampering with the white Pokedex.

"I don't need to erase all data, just like last time," he thought, looking through the mausoleum's window at the Pokedex. "It will be enough if I change the owner's data… and after the tournament I restore the real details…"

He scaled the building's windowsill and pushed the glass. Of course, the window was locked; nobody unauthorized had access to the mausoleum. The lock didn't very look solid but if he simply tried to break it, somebody would surely hear him…

Suddenly, holiday fireworks appeared in the sky. This was his chance!

At the point of explosion he forced the window open! Then he made sure nobody heard him… and slipped into the mausoleum!

Silence and dimness prevailed inside. The ambiance was peaceful, but also lofty, giving the impression as if time stood still. Miguel held his breath, awestruck.

He took a few unsteady steps toward the Pokedex. Under his shoes marigold petals rustled, since the floor was showered with them. The device was located so high that in order to reach it, he had to climb onto the sarcophagus. He ran his hand over the Pokedex, wiping away dust. In the glass case he saw his reflection, looking back at him in disbelief.

"Senor de la Cruz?" he turned hesitantly to the portrait. "Please don't be mad. I'm Miguel, your great-great grandson... I need to borrow this."

With his heart pounding, he took the Pokedex in his hand.

"Our family thinks being a trainer is a curse. None of them understand, but I know you would have. You would've told me to follow my heart. To seize my moment!"

He got down from the sarcophagus and stood upright opposite the portrait, feeling a surge of self-confidence.

"So if it's all right with you, I'm gonna battle in the plaza, just like you did!"

He pushed the activation button. In one moment the device lit up so brightly as if, despite the passage of time, it didn't lose any power. At the same time, marigold petals around Miguel flickered and slightly floated.

Miguel looked around, surprised. What had just happened?

Suddenly, a flashlight shone inside the mausoleum!

"The Pokedex! It's gone!"

"Somebody stole de la Cruz's Pokedex!"

"The window's broken, look!" sounded concerned voices. A frightened Miguel hid against the wall, not wanting to be noticed.

Then, he heard a key turning in the mausoleum's door and a groundskeeper came inside with a flashlight!

"Alright, who's in there?" the man started walking toward Miguel. The boy instantly turned the Pokedex off and put it on the floor.

"I... I'm sorry! It's not what it looks like! De la Cruz is my..."

…but the groundkeeper walked straight through Miguel, without noticing him!

"There's nobody here!" he said.

Miguel felt he was getting faint. What happened to him? He looked at his body and saw that he was slightly transparent! Could he possibly have become a ghost?

More and more people started entering the mausoleum. None of them noticed Miguel. The boy fell into a panic and ran out of the building. He rushed headlong, passing people and sometimes running through them, wanting to be as far from the cursed mausoleum as possible. Then, he heard Mama's voice! His parents were searching for him!

"Miguel! Come home!"

He rushed towards them hoping they'll help him escape from this nightmare. He reached out his hands to embrace them… and ran through them too! He stumbled and fell into an open grave.

For a while he got woozy, then he heard a woman's voice above him.

"Dios mio! Little boy, are you okay?" she reached out her hand wearing a long glove. Miguel took it and she pulled him out from the grave.

"Thanks, I…" he started talking, but his voice lurched when he looked at her face.

She wasn't a normal woman. She was a skeleton!


End file.
